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Brazil is basking in new-found and well-deserved respect on the world scene — a recognized leader in Latin America and elsewhere, the beneficiary of a dynamic economy that is the envy of much of the rest of the world, and the location of the first Olympics to be held in South America. These augment the picture of Brazil as a multi-cultural society which takes great pride and enjoyment in its captivating music scene, renowned soccer teams, stunning natural environment, and annual over-the-top Carnival celebrations. Under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (usually referred to simply as “Lula”), the Brazilian economy experienced sustained growth and the standard of living improved for all sectors of society...

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India is a country of contrasts: a modernizing economy in which village production continues to dominate, a vibrant democracy with an entrenched bureaucracy, a nuclear power in the place where nonviolent protest was born. Its largely urban-based, modern service sector stands in stark juxtaposition to rural India, where fields are plowed with bullocks and brick kilns dot the landscape...

India is home to over one billion people, making it the world’s second-most populated country and largest democracy. High-tech urban centers, testament to the economic reforms of the early 1990s that opened India to the outside world, co-exist with rural villages where farmers engage in subsistence agriculture, representing vast differences in culture, education, and opportunity. While it has become one of the fastest-growing global economies, India still faces major challenges. Poverty remains a critical issue, fueled by lack of access to primary education. Public health is a growing concern, be it the availability of clean drinking water, pollution, or malnutrition that affects half of the country’s children...

From high-tech industries to thousands of rural villages seemingly untouched by time, India encompasses both the dynamic forces of globalization and the deep-rooted traditions of an ancient culture, marked by a diversity encompassing a multiplicity of religions, ethnicities, political states, languages, and art forms. Pune, a medium-sized city of over three million, is located in the state of Maharashtra, and is home to numerous civic organizations dedicated to improving the situation of Indians living in both urban and rural settings...

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Though it’s called the “Second City,” those from Chicago will insist that it’s second to none. Chicago is a city with both a pioneer spirit and an eye to the future, boasting a vibrant arts scene, a remarkable array of start-up companies and non-profits, and a diverse mix of cultures and ethnicities. From its phenomenal rebirth after the Great Chicago Fire, to the massive social reforms resulting from Jane Addams’ Settlement House movement, to the election of Barack Obama as the first black President of the United States, the people of Chicago have always been actively engaged in the important civic and social issues of the day...

The Newberry Library is one of the world’s leading independent research libraries. Focused on the humanities, its evolving collections embrace the history and literature of Western Europe and the Americas. With an active educational and cultural presence in Chicago, the Newberry offers a host of exhibits, lectures, classes, concerts, and other public programming related to its collections. In addition, the Newberry makes available a variety of highly-acclaimed fellowships and programs to scholars, teachers, and undergraduates...

From current cutting-edge scientific research in energy and environmental issues, reaching back to its history as a pivotal element of the Manhattan Project in World War II, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is recognized as a leader in scientific and technological research. Located in Oak Ridge Tennessee, and managed by the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Batelle, scientists and engineers conduct basic and applied research in a wide variety of fields. As the Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory, their mission to advance the nation’s energy resources, environmental quality, and scientific knowledge provides an exciting and intellectually stimulating setting for science students looking to do rigorous research...

Chicago’s three million residents come from a wide range of ethnic, linguistic, socio-economic and religious backgrounds. With more than 80 cultures represented, the city’s schools reflect this diversity. The nation’s third largest school system, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) enrolls more than 400,000 students in 675 schools, providing many opportunities for student teachers. CPS offers a range of schools — such as magnet, traditional, technical and career, performance, and military — and more than ten percent of CPS schools are charter schools, with a wide variety of missions and academic emphases...

Students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability are selected as candidates for this program at American University in Washington, D.C. The Washington Semester Program is designed to bring superior students into contact with source materials and government institutions in the nation’s capital. In addition to regular study and a research project, students participate in the Washington Semester Seminar, a course consisting of a series of informal meetings with members of Congress and government officials...

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Costa Rica projects an image of tropical beauty—wide sandy beaches, lush vegetation carpeting remote mountainous regions, a wide diversity of exotic bird life, and a population known for its hospitality to strangers. The companion image of this beauty reflects the country’s commitment to its natural environment through policies of sustainable development and the protection of its land and marine ecosystems and to its people through its longstanding democratic processes, inclusive social programs in public health and education, and assistance to indigenous people in preserving their culture and way of life...

A country of ecological diversity, with an enviable system of national parks, along with the longest uninterrupted history of democracy in Latin America, Costa Rica has consistently met the challenges of modern development with a preference for peace and pragmatism. With a fabulous – but also fragile and complicated – geography, varying from beautiful beaches along both its coastlines to tropical rain forests and green mountains in the interior, Costa Rica is working to protect its biodiversity, while at the same time pursuing economic development...

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While the art and history of the Italian Renaissance can be studied in many locations, only in Florence does the rich interaction between medieval Europe and classical antiquity - the embodiment of the Renaissance - truly come alive. Wandering through the winding streets and famous piazze, visitors are struck by the harmonious blending of medieval public buildings, Renaissance churches and swirling baroque decoration. Prestigious museums, such as the Uffizi, also provide unmatched resources for the study of painting, architecture and sculpture. With a spirit of discovery and innovation, a vibrant sense of energy, and a rich and storied history, Florence (or Firenze) continues to be a leading destination for students the world over...

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Established in 1963, the Japan Study program is one of the oldest and most comprehensive programs in educational exchange and development linking colleges and universities in the United States and Japan. Based at Earlham College, Japan Study links member colleges of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) and the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) with those of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout its rich history, Japan Study has made important contributions toward fostering the growth of international and intercultural understanding among a significant number of Japanese and American students and faculty. Participants have gone on to distinguished careers in academics, industry, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. They play important roles in a wide range of settings linking Japan, the United States, and the rest of the world...

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From Greek and Roman times up to the present, Jordan has long been a crossroads, where multiple civilizations and cultures of ancient Europe, Asia, and the Middle East meet. This diverse past is reflected in the city of Amman, where a Roman theatre is the most visible legacy of its existence as part of the Roman Empire—when Amman was called Philadelphia—and a citadel on Amman’s highest hill recalls its medieval past under the Umayyads. Amman today is a cosmopolitan city, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a country deeply enmeshed in the international relations of the region which shares land borders with Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Under the leadership of King Abdullah II, as under his father King Hussein, Jordan maintains strong relations with not only its Arab neighbors, but also Israel and the West...

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Modern China is described by superlatives, with the largest population, second largest land mass, and one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. The majority Han Chinese and more than 50 minority ethnic groups all contribute to the portrait of modern China with their particular cultures, traditions, and defining historical events. The city of Shanghai was one of the first ports that opened to trade with the West in the mid-19^th century, and as the country’s financial capital, it continues to be a key to China’s present and its future...

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Tanzania boasts some of the most famous ecological and paleoanthropological sites in the world. The grasslands and savannahs of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park are host to incredible wildlife communities, with elephants, giraffes, lions, and migratory herds of wildebeest, as well as an amazing diversity of primates, birds, and reptiles. These tropical ecosystems are adjacent to the world-heritage sites of Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys made their important discoveries of early hominid remains...

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London is Europe’s largest city, a vast multicultural capital and an epicenter of international finance, politics, and culture. The modern city reveals a dynamic past in which theatre and the visual arts flourish in a variety of forms and venues. The center of Florence, on the other hand, can be traversed, and indeed circumnavigated, quickly. Its compression allows students a quite different opportunity to study the arts in context, particularly painting, architecture, and sculpture, all seminal to later achievements across Europe and the west. While London and Florence are of course very different cities, both are vibrant European environments where their differing artistic achievements continue to flourish...

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UHI Millennium Institute is a consortium of colleges in the Highlands and on the islands of Scotland. This consortium provides access to university-level education through a distinctive partnership of colleges and research institutions. Each partner has its own character; some are relatively large colleges in the urban centers of the region such as Perth, Elgin, and Inverness. Others are smaller institutions, including some whose primary focus is on research, including the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) at Oban. All, however, have a student centered culture and an individual approach to student learning. UHI offers a choice of campus locations in urban, rural, and island communities; distinctive courses and subject areas reflecting the characteristics of the region and with relevance worldwide; extensive use of information technology, including on-line materials and video conferencing; small class sizes with a focus on the needs of the individual learner; welcoming communities, rich in culture and located in an area of outstanding natural beauty; and high-quality academic courses in a variety of fields in a region known world-wide for its great natural and unspoilt environment – the Highlands and Islands of Scotland...